Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the first Open online art show for the month of March 2020. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (photography, digital, mixed media, collage, oil on canvas, acrylics, oil on linen, print on aluminum, pencil, ink, watercolor). Each submission has been judged based on the following elements of artistic expression: orginality and quality of art, overall design, creativity, interpretation of the theme, demonstration of artistic ability and usage of medium. Out of all entries, 62 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Guatemala, Belarus, Serbia, South Korea, India, Romania, Israel and Malaysia. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

Marcello La Neve of Windlesham (GB), is an artist interested in national criticism, especially in recent years. Painter sought and applauded by the world of entertainment, he has thousands of works to his credit, distributed in important galleries in the European Union. He made the portraits of: Anna Oxa, Rossana Casale, Patty Pravo and Michele Zarrillo and on May 6, 2015 he made a gift of one of his works, entitled "Rosa Mistica", to His Holiness Pope Francis. He currently lives and works in Cerisano, in the province of Cosenza, the city where he graduated from the "Umberto Boccioni" State Art School. Countless prizes were awarded, as well as prizes, which deservedly placed him on the international artistic podium.

It is for me to recognize what can be unearthed: to reveal what magnificence of light and colors of form discover the sensuality that lies within. With a courage gained through experience, I can break into these alabaster stones, revealing their secrets subdued, cloaked in the dusts of our Planet evolution, which is why I love stone sculpture. And my bronze sculptures are also a summary for the concept of art responsibility because are very durable, able to withstand the elements for many years when properly prepared. Finally, the ability to use corrosive materials to create a patina allows to create a vibrant coating, because bronze is an incredibly important historical art medium for sustainable sculpture.

I am concerned with communicating a sense of harmony, balance, order and spirituality. The love of my family, gardens, ballet, music, and a profound interest in world issues have always found their way into my work. My paintings, works on paper and sculpture depict imagery of personal and global events and psychological issues. They are a reflection of the world we live in, expressed through geometric shapes, color, light, space, texture, edges and movement, each interplaying with one another engaging the viewer to participate. Every day we are confronted with the fragmentation of our non-linear lives . . . like a puzzle. . . fitting the pieces together to make sense of it all. The multi-dimensionality and multi-layering of my work reference what one must uncover to penetrate the illusions of reality in order to reach the mystery and essence of the soul.

My work primarily consists of paintings made in acrylic and oils on canvas and panel for larger scale explorations as well as small intricately detailed gouache paintings on paper. In the capitalist system in which we are all forced to operate, we are encouraged to commodify any talents and skills we have which anyone with capital is willing to pay for. On top of this, we are strongly encouraged to express ourselves, primarily through our purchasing power and our attention via social media. My work seeks to act as a commentary on the ironic polarity of needing to exist and sustain oneself within a rigid social system while also being called on to express a socially acceptable form of individuality. Aesthetically my paintings achieve this by creating a sense of uniformity on a full-scale viewing while beginning to break down the viewer’s expectations and assumptions about quality, conformity, and methodology upon closer inspection. My process begins by establishing a strict system of constraints and explores how those constraints can be strained and exploited to create surprising and engaging hierarchies and depth. Recurring examples of this of my work have recently included starting my process with a digital grayscale sketch of the intended piece size, subdividing the piece into a grid and overlaying contiguous lines until a single unified line activates the space. After this sketch is complete, I will lay down a background on the piece, transfer the line to the piece, and overlay finishing line work over the baseline.